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After leaving the hustle of Baltimore/D.C, my boyfriend and I left for Belize the morning of June 9th and arrived at the Jaguar Reef Lodge around 12pm Hopkins time. (The lodge arranged the airport travel from Belize City to Dangriga where we were picked up by one of their staff and transported to JRL) From the moment we stepped into the vehicle, we were given a wonderful & light-hearted tour/education about the Hopkins area, what tours we should definitely check out, the top bar in Hopkins, the friendliness of the Hopkins residents, and the different plant and animal species we may or may not see. Upon our arrival, we met King who welcomed us by reviweing our package, showing us around the lodge and providing us with a complimentary cocktail - all within 6-7 minutes!! We stayed in a Cabana that wasn't considered ocean front - but in reality all of the cabanas are ocean front. By day 2 everyone at JRLknew our names and treated us as family. We had a blast!! We participated in the Cayo Maya Ruin tour; went snorkeling along wonderful reefs and toured the Sitee River (where we saw crocodiles and had the pleasure to witness a boa constrictor at the top of a tall tree that had just caught an iguana!); horse back riding through citrus fields into jungle and relaxing/swimming at a clear spot on the Sitee River; and a night jungle trek. The last thing we wanted to do was go fishing and had signed up for the fishing trip to take place on the following day. Wednesday evening around 6:30 pm, we happened to wander into the reception area and were going on about our fishing adventure scheduled to leave the next morning. Andrea, one of the hotel clerks started going through paper work and exclaimed that we were scheduled to leave the next morning! We were stunned - we had lost track of the time! Although we weren't able to go fishing, we had a magical time! This is the place to go if you want to relax and get lost. The staff is friendly and JRL is clean. A special thanks to Becky, Tino, Cipriano, King, Charleton, Ruby, Adolfo and anyone else I missed. We wanted to escape and you allowed us to do just that and at our own pace. We'll be back to get that fishing trip in!

Stayed: June 2006

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Ask ndpoole about Jaguar Reef Lodge & Spa

12 Thank ndpoole

This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.

My husband and I loved every minute at the JRL. ALL the staff were so attentative to every need, and they were all so friendly! The food was really good, especially the homemade bread served at every meal. The cabanas were really cute and clean, and we had a wonderful view of the ocean. If you want a vacation that is going to be relaxing, JRL is the place for you. My husband and I look forward to returning in the near future.Thank you to the staff who made our trip a wonderful experience!

Stayed: May 2006

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Ask a question about Jaguar Reef Lodge & Spa

5 Thank A TripAdvisor Member

This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.

My wife and I just returned from 8 days at The Jaguar Reef resort in Hopkins, Belize. Overall, we had a great experience. Like any resort in a third world country, there are amenities that we are used to in the states that are either not available or are just different abroad. We stayed in one of the older cabanas, but it was still really nice. Ours was right next to the road, and we were worried about vehicle noise, but it was really quiet. One of the couples that was staying in the newer suites (the Guava Suite), let us look around, and it was REALLY nice. The food was very good, but not great. The breakfast buffet was excellent (ask for the Fry Jacks and Refried Beans). Lunch was pretty standard, sandwiches, burgers, salads. Dinner was a three course meal where you select from a number of appetizers, main courses, side dishes and desserts. That was great, but we were not always in the mood for a formal meal, and wished that some of the lighter lunch items were available for dinner. The beach there is beautiful, but not good for swimming. There is a lot fo sea grass in the water. There are sand flies on the beach and around the resort. If there is little or no wind, they will find you! You can avoid them if you stay off the beach when it's very still, especially at night. We went on three tours; Cockscomb Preserve, Cayo Ruins and Caves Branch Tubing at Jaguar Paw. The best of the three was the Cave Tubing. It was an amazing experience in a beautiful jungle setting. The Mayan Ruins were VERY interesting, but it was a LONG day, as we left at 8:30 AM and did not return until almost 7:00 PM. Cockscomb was also very interesting, but we did not see the monkeys, toucans or other wildlife we were hoping to see. We did swim at a beautiful waterfall during the hike, which was much needed, considering how steamy the jungle is. You should also take some bikes out for the short ride to the Iguana Day Lodge. The Sittee river is very pretty, and they let you use the kayaks there. We paddled upstream a while and came very close to what we think was a large croc in the water, but decided not to get too close and went on our way. We wanted to dive with the shop at Jaguar Reef, Second Nature, but they were only offering Whale Shark dives the first two days of our stay, and we were anxious to dive the reefs, so we did our diving with Hamanasi. They were a little more expensive, but they are a top notch group. They have three large boats, and when you are 25 miles out to sea in a 8 foot swell, you are glad to be on a 43 foot ship with a cabin and twin 200 HP outboards. We did 4 local dives, Turneffe Atoll and Glovers Reef, 10 dives total. All were fantastic, and all were wall dives, but the Elbow at Turneffe has to be seen to be believed. Although I did not dive with Second Nature, the guests at JRL had nothing but good things to say about them. We had dinner in Hopkins at King Cassava on our last night. The JRL desk will arrange a ride for $5 US. The Garifuna people of the village are really friendly, and it was nice to get out of the resort and see the town. Our transfers to and from the airport in Dangriga were right on time. We did get a few days and nights of serious rain (actually, spectacular lightning and thunder), but it did not interfere with any of the tours. As I said, overall we had a great time. The staff is super friendly and helpful, and will do whatever you need to make your trip fun and comfortable. The key with the locals is to just be nice. The don't deal with rudeness well at all, and they will avoid you if they are treated that way. And remember, you are on Belizean time, so don't worry if your meal takes a little longer than it does at home or a tour does not leave exactly when it was supposed to. What's the hurry? You are on vacation in paradise.....

Stayed: May 2006

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Ask CaribDivers about Jaguar Reef Lodge & Spa

18 Thank CaribDivers

This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.

This was the best vacation ever. The staff at the lodge were friendly and helped to make our vacation great. The tours were fun, and led by a knowlegable guide, The rooms were clean and spacious. There is no activities after dark here, but usually we were too tired to do much anyway. The food was terrific and featured local as well as American food. Can't wait to go back!!

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Ask judyrp about Jaguar Reef Lodge & Spa

13 Thank judyrp

This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.

Proud member of ViVA BELiZE, the leading Hotel Group and Adventure Company in Belize for the past 20 years. This beachfront resort is - An Untouched Paradise offering a unique Jungle and Sea Venture. It is an oasis of relaxation, with sunny skies, panoramic views of the ocean and just minutes away from the Garifuna Fishing Village of Hopkins. Other features of Jaguar Reef Lodge & Spa: -WINNER 2015 TripAdvisor HALL OF FAME Award -FULL Service In-house Spa -Longest & Finest Beach in Belize -Pool with Swim up Tiki Bar -Kids pool -Beachfront Dining -Water Sports & Land Adventure Tour Desk...more less

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Also Known As:

Jaguar Reef Hotel Hopkins

Jaguar Reef Resort

Jaguar Reef Lodge & Spa Belize/Hopkins

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